Time Changed Us
by Midnyght Saber
Summary: CH 1 angst. CH 2 fluff. Time, the river that we struggle against, has caught two teens in its ever-racing tides, taking them from the carefree world of youth into the real world around them, and forcing one to carry a burden he did not ask for.
1. Shadows of Night

**Disclaimer:** _Danny Phantom_ and all related characters and information are the property of Butch Hartman and Viacom International Inc. "Fields of Innocence" is the property of Evanescence and Bigwig Enterprises.

* * *

**I still remember the world**

**From the eyes of a child**

**Slowly, those feelings**

**Were clouded by what I know now**

Danny Fenton sat silently on his bed, his chin resting on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs. He'd had another hard day at school – between Dash shoving him in his locker, Lancer constantly calling on him for answers (which he miraculously knew some of), and a small phazing incident in gym, his day hadn't gone well at all. His only consolation came in the fact that there hadn't been any ghost attacks.

His eyes suddenly fell on a photo on the nightstand by his bed. Leaning over and grabbing the picture, his legs stretched out over the bed as he pulled the framed image to him. A pang of nostalgia hit him as he looked at younger versions of Sam, Tucker and himself.

The trio had been at the park, blowing another day of summer vacation goofing off. Danny wasn't sure how old they had been, but guessed that they were seven or eight at the time the picture was taken. At the moment the image had been snapped, courtesy of Tucker's mom, the three of them were laying back in the grass, worn out from a lot of running. Taken because of their positions, Danny couldn't help but smile. He'd been lying back with both hands behind his head, Tucker had his hands across his stomach, and Sam, having dropped between them moments before, had one hand behind her head, the other on her stomach.

**Where has my heart gone?**

**An uneven trade for the real world**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all**

Setting the picture back down, Danny curled up on his bed, a sudden longing for days long gone taking hold of him, a past long forgotten amongst his ghost hunting.

His life had been easy before the accident. There was little to bother him – the only real problems he'd had was Dash. His grades were good, he had time to study, and hanging out only entailed a trip to the movies. Now, between home, school and his "job", life had become a fast-paced mass confusion. Sighing, he pulled the covers over his head, not planning on sleep, but not desirous of facing the world for the rest of the day.

**I still remember the sun**

**Always warm on my back**

**Somehow it seems colder now**

In her room, a trio of candles cast a pale glow from her dresser, Sam was lying on her bed, Evanescence's 'Fallen' CD blaring from the headphones plugged into her CD player. As of late, "Taking Over Me" had been on endless repeat, the song taking on new meaning in her heart.

Her eyes found their way, probably for the hundredth time that night alone, to the framed photo of her and Danny after the freshman dance. Tucker had managed to talk them into taking the photo during their walk through the park after the teachers had ushered the students out of the gym. In the picture, Danny stood next to Sam, one hand in his pockets, the other wrapped tightly around her waist.

Sighing, she began singing along with the song, finding herself lost in Danny's eyes. "I look in the mirror and see your face. If I look deep enough, so many things inside that are just like you are taking over." Stifling a sob, she rolled into her pillow, upset at how deep she'd fallen for her best friend.

**Where has my heart gone?**

**Trapped in the eyes of a stranger**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything**

There was just so much in their lives now – high school, ghost hunting, Paulina…Between Danny's unending adoration of the high school attention hog and his desire to be popular, she was starting to feel like Danny would never be able to see her in the same light.

Her thoughts drifted to memories over the years. Whenever she'd felt bad or had been hurt, or even if she just needed someone to talk to, Danny had always been there for her. Even now, with Paulina in the picture, he would still be at her side the instant he realized something was wrong. She knew from the way he acted around her that he only did so as a friend, and she longed for him to be something more for her.

In so many ways, she'd lucked out once – she knew what his lips felt like against hers. She'd had to act as if there was nothing between them after that kiss, despite the pain that it caused her to lie to him. She wanted nothing more than to let him know how she felt about him, but by calling it a fake-out make-out, she kept the secret of her heart locked safely away.

As the memory faded from her mind, she felt the rush of blood as her pulse began to race, as it did every time she thought about that day in the park.

A small smile graced her lips as she remembered the dopey look that had crossed Danny's face after the kiss, and she chided herself for never having the courage to ask him why he'd looked so happy, figuring that he'd only wonder why she was asking about what he felt during the 'fake' kiss.

The tears began anew as "Taking Over Me" started over again, and Sam curled tightly against her pillow, as if the pillow was a final line to her sanity.

**Where has my heart gone?**

**An uneven trade for the real world**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything**

In their rooms, separated by the many blocks between the houses, the two teens wept, each longing for the carefree days of their youth, totally unaware that their mutual pain amplified their suffering.

So much had changed them.

So much had come between them.

So much pain…There was no way to turn back the hands of time, a reality that only made their situation worse.

**Oh, where, where has my heart gone?**

**Trapped in the eyes of a stranger**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything**

Sam wiped her eyes, her heart crying out for Danny. She wanted him in her life. She needed him by her side. Deep inside, she realized the bitter truth – he would never see her as anything more than a friend.

Danny rolled onto his back, his legs suddenly phazing through his bed. Gripping his sheets, he pulled his legs upward, forcing them to solidify, and blew out a frustrated sigh. He would have given anything to give up his Phantom half, but knew in his heart that he'd been gifted with the powers for a reason…even if they malfunctioned on a semi-regular basis.

**I still remember…**

The teens curled into the covers of their beds, longing for the ease of their younger days, unwillingly trapped in a world that could only move forward in time.


	2. Radiance of the Moon

**Disclaimer:** _Danny Phantom_ and all related characters and information are the property of Butch Hartman and Viacom International Inc. "Fields of Innocence" is the property of Evanescence and Bigwig Enterprises. "Taking Over Me" is the property of Evanescence and Wind-Up Records, distributed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

* * *

**I still remember the world**

**From the eyes of a child**

**Slowly, those feelings**

**Were clouded by what I know now**

Danny Fenton sat silently on his bed, his chin resting on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs. He'd had another hard day at school – between Dash shoving him in his locker, Lancer constantly calling on him for answers (which he miraculously knew some of), and a small phazing incident in gym, his day hadn't gone well at all. His only consolation came in the fact that there hadn't been any ghost attacks.

His eyes suddenly fell on a photo on the nightstand by his bed. Leaning over and grabbing the picture, his legs stretched out over the bed as he pulled the framed image to him. A pang of nostalgia hit him as he looked at younger versions of Sam, Tucker and himself.

The trio had been at the park, blowing another day of summer vacation goofing off. Danny wasn't sure how old they had been, but guessed that they were seven or eight at the time the picture was taken. At the moment the image had been snapped, courtesy of Tucker's mom, the three of them were laying back in the grass, worn out from a lot of running. Taken because of their positions, Danny couldn't help but smile. He'd been lying back with both hands behind his head, Tucker had his hands across his stomach, and Sam, having dropped between them moments before, had one hand behind her head, the other on her stomach.

**Where has my heart gone?**

**An uneven trade for the real world**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all**

Setting the picture back down, Danny curled up on his bed, a sudden longing for days long gone taking hold of him, a past long forgotten amongst his ghost hunting.

His life had been easy before the accident. There was little to bother him – the only real problems he'd had was Dash. His grades were good, he had time to study, and hanging out only entailed a trip to the movies. Now, between home, school and his "job", life had become a fast-paced mass confusion. Sighing, he pulled the covers over his head, not planning on sleep, but not desirous of facing the world for the rest of the day.

**I still remember the sun**

**Always warm on my back**

**Somehow it seems colder now**

In her room, a trio of candles cast a pale glow from her dresser, Sam was lying on her bed, Evanescence's 'Fallen' CD blaring from the headphones plugged into her CD player. As of late, "Taking Over Me" had been on endless repeat, the song taking on new meaning in her heart.

Her eyes found their way, probably for the hundredth time that night alone, to the framed photo of her and Danny after the freshman dance. Tucker had managed to talk them into taking the photo during their walk through the park after the teachers had ushered the students out of the gym. In the picture, Danny stood next to Sam, one hand in his pockets, the other wrapped tightly around her waist.

Sighing, she began singing along with the song, finding herself lost in Danny's eyes. "I look in the mirror and see your face. If I look deep enough, so many things inside that are just like you are taking over." Stifling a sob, she rolled into her pillow, upset at how deep she'd fallen for her best friend.

**Where has my heart gone?**

**Trapped in the eyes of a stranger**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything**

There was just so much in their lives now – high school, ghost hunting, Paulina…Between Danny's unending adoration of the high school attention hog and his desire to be popular, she was starting to feel like Danny would never be able to see her in the same light.

Her thoughts drifted to memories over the years. Whenever she'd felt bad or had been hurt, or even if she just needed someone to talk to, Danny had always been there for her. Even now, with Paulina in the picture, he would still be at her side the instant he realized something was wrong. She knew from the way he acted around her that he only did so as a friend, and she longed for him to be something more for her.

In so many ways, she'd lucked out once – she knew what his lips felt like against hers. She'd had to act as if there was nothing between them after that kiss, despite the pain that it caused her to lie to him. She wanted nothing more than to let him know how she felt about him, but by calling it a fake-out make-out, she kept the secret of her heart locked safely away.

As the memory faded from her mind, she felt the rush of blood as her pulse began to race, as it did every time she thought about that day in the park.

A small smile graced her lips as she remembered the dopey look that had crossed Danny's face after the kiss, and she chided herself for never having the courage to ask him why he'd looked so happy, figuring that he'd only wonder why she was asking about what he felt during the 'fake' kiss.

The tears began anew as "Taking Over Me" started over again, and Sam curled tightly against her pillow, as if the pillow was a final line to her sanity.

**Where has my heart gone?**

**An uneven trade for the real world**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything**

In their rooms, separated by the many blocks between the houses, the two teens wept, each longing for the carefree days of their youth, totally unaware that their mutual pain amplified their suffering.

So much had changed them.

So much had come between them.

So much pain…There was no way to turn back the hands of time, a reality that only made their situation worse.

**Oh, where, where has my heart gone?**

**Trapped in the eyes of a stranger**

**Oh, I, I want to go back to**

**Believing in everything**

Sam wiped her eyes, her heart crying out for Danny. She wanted him in her life. She needed him by her side. Deep inside, she realized the bitter truth – he would never see her as anything more than a friend.

Danny rolled onto his back, his legs suddenly phazing through his bed. Gripping his sheets, he pulled his legs upward, forcing them to solidify, and blew out a frustrated sigh. He would have given anything to give up his Phantom half, but knew in his heart that he'd been gifted with the powers for a reason…even if they malfunctioned on a semi-regular basis.

Getting to his feet, Danny walked over to his window, sitting on the windowsill, letting the wind caress his face as he let his feet dangle in the open air.

At that moment, the light of the full moon burst through the cloud cover, lighting up the form of a hybrid at his window and a goth crying into her pillow.

Danny's head jerked up as the sound of rock music invaded his ears, his sudden motion nearly knocking him from his perch.

_**You don't remember me  
But I remember you**_

_**I lie awake and**_

_**Try so hard**_

_**Not to think of you**_

_**But who can decide**_

_**What they dream**_

_**And dream I do…**_

_**I believe in you**_

_**I'll give up everything**_

_**Just to find you**_

_**I have to be with you**_

_**To live**_

_**To breathe**_

_**You're taking over me**_

Danny went ghost immediately, something inside telling him that Sam needed him right then. As the transformation finished, the rock music blaring in his ears, he kicked away from his house, flying towards Sam's.

_**Have you forgotten**_

_**All I know**_

_**And all we had?**_

_**You saw me**_

_**Mourning my love for you**_

_**And touched my hand**_

_**I knew you loved me then**_

_**I believe in you**_

_**I'll give up everything**_

_**Just to find you**_

Danny slipped into invisibility as Sam's house came into view.

_**I have to be with you**_

Nearing her bedroom window, he went intangible.

_**To live**_

Phazing into her room, he found Sam staring at her reflection as she stood in front of the full-length mirror hanging on her bedroom door.

_**To breathe**_

She'd been crying. He could see the pain and redness of her eyes.

_**You're taking over me**_

Sam gasped as Danny materialized behind her, his ethereal reflection gazing at her, the words that Amy was now singing ringing in her ears.

_**I look in the mirror**_

_**And see your face**_

_**If I look deep enough**_

_**So many things inside**_

_**That are just like**_

_**You are taking over**_

A solitary tear traveled down her cheek, and Danny walked up to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. Slowly, he slid a hand around her waist, his other hand reaching to wipe the tear away.

They stood there, thoughts unspoken, as two rings slowly passed over Danny's body, the pair of eyes locked on Sam's reflection turning from green to blue.

_**I believe in you**_

_**I'll give up everything**_

_**Just to find you**_

_**I have to be with you**_

_**To live**_

_**To breathe**_

_**You're taking over me**_

_**I believe in…**_

Danny reached down and turned off her CD player, and Sam turned, looking into his eyes.

Suddenly finding himself unable to speak, a faint glimmer in her eyes reminiscent of the days of their childhood.

Sam felt, more than saw, the old Danny, the human from before the accident, and she pulled herself into his embrace.

**I still remember…**

"Is that song true?" Danny asked softly.

"How did you hear it? It wasn't that loud."

Danny shrugged, holding her tightly. "It started playing in my head while I was at home. That's when I felt that you needed me, that something was wrong. Now, can you please answer me?"

Sam turned her head downward, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Parts of it are true."

"Which ones?"

Sam remained silent for a moment before whispering, "I don't want to talk about it."

"You have to."

Sam looked at Danny, suddenly put off by his commanding tone, and pushed herself away from him.

"You can't keep hiding these things from me, Sam," Danny said as he pulled her headphones down around her neck. "You can't keep lying to me."

Sam knocked his hand away, snapping in reply. "You don't know what I'm hiding."

"Then tell me."

"I can't, Danny."

"Yes, you can."

Sam wheeled on her friend. "How would you know? You're not me!"

Danny looked at her incredulously. "Isn't being your best friend enough for you to know you can trust me."

"You wouldn't understand, Danny. It's not that easy to just tell you what's wrong."

"So now you're telling _me_ what I can and can't handle?"

"I can't risk you knowing!"

Danny reached out for her, succeeding in only pulling her headphones off of her as she moved away again. "Does being your friend count for nothing, Sam?! As long as we've known each other, why do you start keeping things from me now?"

"It's too dangerous for me to tell you."

"Sam, if something is wrong, you tell me," Danny ordered. "I have a responsibility to you, as your friend _and_ as Danny Phantom! What could be so dangerous that me knowing is a _threat_?!"

"This could ruin everything we have!"

"What could possibly do that to us?!"

"The fact that I love you!"

Danny's eyes went wide at this acquisition. "What?" he asked as Sam's CD player fell to the floor, both hands now covering her mouth, her eyes filled with fear. "What did you just say?"

Sam remained silent as Danny's eyes bored into her own.

"What did you say, Sam? Did…Did I hear you right?"

Finding her back to a wall and Danny slowly approaching her, she was unable to find her voice no matter how much she'd wanted to tell him that he had, indeed, heard her.

Danny prayed that he'd heard her right, and closed the distance between him and his best friend, their bodies nearly touching. In the blink of an eye, Danny had claimed her lips with his, his hands finding their way around her waist, pulling her against him.

Sam was taken quite aback by his sudden move, feeling her legs start to go out from under her. Feeling his arms tighten around her, he held her tightly, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. Pressing closer to him, the kiss they shared was tender, loving and gentle.

After a few moments, he pulled away, finding a new gleam shining in Sam's eyes, and his stomach flipped when he realized the look she was giving him was for only for him.

"Feel better now?"

"I'll let you know as soon as my room stops spinning."

"I'll take that as a yes." Picking her up, he laid her down on her bed, his eye catching something as he looked up. Walking over to her bedside table, he picked up the picture, his heart skipping a beat as the memory washed over him of the night captured on film.

Despite the way he'd acted, he'd fallen off of the Paulina bandwagon that night. Paulina had been so buried in glitter and make-up that he felt a distinct need to puke, whereas Sam had just been…perfect.

"You okay?"

Danny placed the frame back down and turned to her. "I'm…" He stopped, unsure of what to say.

"Danny?"

"Do you have any dance music?"

Sam blinked, somewhat displaced by the question. "Um, slow or house?"

"Slow. I want…I want to dance with you again."

"What?"

Danny leaned over Sam, running his fingers through her raven hair. "I want to dance with you. I want to feel the way I felt the night that I fell in love with you."

Sam felt her insides turn to mush then and there, barely able to move as she stood. Shakily, she pulled a CD out of its case, placing it into her stereo. Slow instrumental music filled the room, and she smiled as Danny walked up to her.

"May I have this dance, my love?" the halfa asked.

Sam's hands slid onto Danny's shoulders, resting lightly against the base of his neck. Danny's hands found their way to her waist again and he pulled her against him, wanting to hold onto her and this moment forever and never let go.

The two spent the rest of the night dancing under the radiant glow of the full moon, their love strengthened between them with each passing minute.


End file.
